Friday, March 19, 2010

TMS and hearing voices - study shows disappointing results

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) involves the use of strong, fluctuating magnetic fields to stimulate the surface layers of the brain's cortex. Some studies have shown TMS to be effective in treating auditory hallucinations but a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales has had disappointing results. Eighteen people with schizophrenia had either genuine TMS or a sham treatment for three days. The study found no difference in people's hallucinations between the group who received the genuine TMS treatment and the group who had the sham treatment.

Loo, C.K. ... [et al] - A sham-controlled trial of left and right temporal rTMS for the treatment of auditory hallucinations Psychological Medicine April 2010, 40(4), 541-546

1 comment:

Jason said...

I think you should look at my hypothesis. TMS is only part of the solution that can lead to no voices.

Hypothesis about self-sustaining unrecognized verbal thoughts (auditory verbal hallucinations, hearing voices) in otherwise healthy people, trans-cranial magnetic stimulation and speech therapy [Kindle Edition] on Amazon